Once Darkness Falls

Preternatural Affairs #7

by S.M. Reine

The worst case scenario has happened: Reno NV has fallen to demons.

Someone at the Office of Preternatural Affairs fucked up.

As the lead of a secret internal investigations team, Agent Cesar Hawke needs to discover who is responsible.

And then he needs to kill them.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Paranormal, Audiobook, Magic

164 pages, ebook

First published January 25, 2016

About the author

Hi everyone! My name is Sara, and I write urban fantasy and paranormal novels as SM Reine. I collect swords, cat hair, and typewriters (which I do use for writing!). It's a good day when those three things have nothing to do with each other.

If you would like to know the instant my next book is available, you should enlist in my Army of Evil! We have a wicked cool secret handshake, but you'll have to sign up to learn it. ;) Check it out -- http://smarturl.it/armyofevil

Reviews

[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stupid question: why do I like this series so much?
Obvious answer: Cèsar Hawke, people! Cèsar Hawke!

Now. Some people hate this series. Why? Because Cèsar Hawke. See the slightly conflicting opinions here? Yes, I'm sure you do. So I'll spare you the usual rant on how desperately clueless some people are. And how they evidently read every single instalment in this series wrong. And what poor taste in book characters they never fail to display. No no no, I will not say such things. Because I'm not like that. And because some of said clueless people are so clueless they tend to take everything I say seriously. And have the strange tendency to threaten me with bodily harm. So. Some people do not like Cèsar Hawke, one of the coolest male witches to ever roam this planet. Why? Well, it might have to do with one of his many delightful personality traits:

↪ Mr Macho Man? You could say that. Or you could say he's the overly protective type.
↪ A sexist pig? You could say that. Or you could say he knows how to appreciate the female physique in all its glory.
↪ Slightly homophobic? You could say that. Or you could say that. Damn, I have no excuse for that one. But really, it's not THAT bad. And it kind of goes hand in hand with Cèsar's Mr Macho Man act. And if it had been THAT bad I would have DNF the hell out of the books in this series a long time ago.
↪ He's somewhat offensive? You could say that. Or you could say that he doesn't react well to stressful situations. And tends to get offensive when said situations arise.

So. Repeat after me: YUCK YUCK YUCK. This guy is a complete disgrace. What a disgusting bastard. I wonder how some authors dare create such despicable characters.



See? I'm the understanding type. So I definitely get why some clueless people do not appreciate Dear Cèsar here. But, you know, it's really not as bad as they think it is. I mean, Dear Cèsar has quite a few redeeming qualities:

↪ He's allergic to magic. Considering that Dear Cèsar is a witch, you might think that this might suck. And you might be right.
↪ He's a pretty crappy witch. But he gets better. Sort of. Hey, at least he's great at cooking potions that make people sleep. That's good, right? And he makes pretty cool potions to increase his muscle mass so he doesn't have to go to the gym. Pretty neat, huh?
↪ He cannot be trusted with weapons in general, and guns in particular. What can I say? He's a pretty bad shot. But he keeps practicing. It's the thought that counts, isn't it?
↪ He is always in the wrong place at the wrong time. But hey, it's not his fault karma's a bitch.
↪ He's really good at making wrong decisions. Yes, it's a talent he's been cultivating for years.
↪ He has pathetic taste in women. Oh don't get me started on that one. Because spoiler-spoiler-spoiler.
↪ He has the worst sense of humor ever. Yes, that is also part of his undying charm.

See? I told you it wasn't ALL bad! Cèsar's actually pretty irresistible, if you ask me.



If you have no idea what this gif ↑↑ is about, then you are obviously not part of the Ancient Goodreads Clique (AGC™), aka those of us who are past their expiry date. If you do have an idea what this gif ↑↑ is about, I'm very sorry. This song will be stuck in your head all day. Now be nice and say thank you to Mr Palmer.

By the way, I could have bored you to death by telling you positive things about dear Cèsar. Like how hilarious he is. And deliciously self-deprecating, too. Or what a fantastic, trustworthy, loyal friend he is. Or that he never gives up, no matter what shitty situation he puts his little self in. Or that he kicks ass in his own way, despite his crappy witching/weaponry skills. Or that, no matter what a coward he thinks he is, he will go to just about any length to save the universe from Evil Scum, Inc. No. I will not tell you all these positive things, and therefore will not bore you to death. You're welcome.



Hahaha, just kidding. You didn't actually think I was done, did you? Oh good. I was hoping knew you weren't *that* naïve.

So. Now that we have made it clear that some clueless people read this book/series wrong and thus failed to grasp the utter awesomeness of Dear Cèsar's character, it's time to point out a few utterly awesome things about this utterly awesome instalment don't worry, this shouldn't take too long. I have a heart, you know. Sometimes:

↪ The S.M. Reine All-Star party: who's invited? Characters from Reine's Descent and Ascension series. Such as Malcolm Gallagher. And Asshole From Hell Gary Zettel. And Neuma. AND. FREAKING. ELISE. KAVANAGH. I can die happy now.

↪ Oh-Freaking-Wow-Amazing-Unexpected-Bloody-Fantastic Story Arc and Plot Development that left me feeling like:



Now. There is a non-utterly awesome thing we have to talk about here. One of these non-utterly awesome things that usually make me want to throw the book I'm reading out the window. And shoot it, too. And then kill it with fire for good measure. I mean, S.M. Reine did pull a spoiler-spoiler-spoiler on me. And I don't react well to spoiler-spoiler-spoilers. At all. So I should hate her for it. Especially since the spoiler-spoiler-spoiler involves I-hate-you-why-don't-you-go-burn-in-hell-Izzy (please S.M. Reine, can you kill the bitch once and for all? Thank you). BUT this is Cèsar Hawke. And this series just took a turn for the freaking amazing. So I'm willing to forgive pretty much anything. Even spoiler-spoiler-spoilers.



· Book 1: Witch Hunt ★★★★
· Book 2: Silver Bullet ★★★
· Book 3: Hotter than Helltown ★★★★
· Book 4: Shadow Burns ★★★★★
· Book 5: Deadly Wrong ★★★★
· Book 6: Ashes and Arsenic ★★★★
· Book 8: Bitter Thirst ★★

[Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

There isn’t a book in this world created by S.M. Reine – regardless of which series I’m reading – that I haven’t absolutely loved. I’ve also, unsurprisingly, fallen in love with a lot of the characters that inhabit said world. If I’m honest though, I have to admit that I’ve fallen out of love with them just as often, but that’s another topic entirely. The point I’m trying to make, in my usual round-about rambling way, is that I love them all for very different reason. I have to say though that Cesar falls right behind Rylie in my rank of favorites. Once Darkness Falls hasn’t changed my opinion one bit. If anything, I fell more in love with him in this latest addition to the Preternatural Affairs series.

The cards were pretty much stacked against Cesar from the beginning, but he had a couple of pretty firm objectives. Keep the people he cared about safe and come out of it alive. As usual, nothing is easy and more importantly, nothing is quite what it seems. The lines between good and evil can blur in a heartbeat. It makes it really hard to tell the good guys from the bad from a reader’s standpoint. It’s almost impossible for the characters. But that’s what makes these books so much fun to read.

One of the things that I love about these intertwining series is the chance to look at familiar characters from a different character’s POV. Seeing Rylie through Deirdre’s eyes was interesting in War of the Alphas, and not always in a good way. But seeing Elise from Cesar’s POV was… well, I’m not exactly sure. Elise crossed a lot of lines in her life… she came closer to obliterating them than blurring them… but Cesar’s opinion of her still made me want to jump in and defend her. Which wasn’t really fair because he didn’t have the whole story. Speaking of which, I still have more books to read in the Descent series…

As for the rest of Once Darkness Falls? This book is a huge turning point for Cesar. Fritz made some startling revelations, more than a few characters made some cameos from previous series, Cesar makes new enemies and some shaky allies, and more than a couple lives hang in the balance. Just a normal day at the office, right?

I received Once Darkness Falls in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[Llaph · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can admit to reading all of her series somewhat out of order. I’m caught up with this one and the Tarot Witches, I finished all of the books with Riley, and have Paw left to read in the Alpha’s series. I have only gotten to book 4 in the Descent series and haven’t yet started on the Ascendance series.
Talk about different points of view.... Seeing things through Cesar’s eyes is illuminating to say the least. As this series has gained more books it the story has gotten to be heavier and more serious business-like. I enjoy experiencing the story through his point of view; Reine writes a male character that, at least to me, seems to be a convincing male character. This is one thing that I think that she excels at, creating characters who are vivid, robust, believable, and individuals in their own right. They all aren’t completely saints, completely evil, completely all-powerful, or completely weak, and can be more realistic than characters in other books.
I love how if you break it down she is telling the same story, but when writing them with different main characters they are practically different stories. In one series you might like this character, but if you read them in another series they are total douche bags and you have a serious hate on when it comes to them.

[Dena · Rating 3 out of 5]

not sure if I'll continue with this series. While it is well written and interesting enough, seeing the bad guys continuously getting away with stuff drives me crazy and frankly I've realized I don't really like or respect any of the characters, especially Fritz and Izzy. Yes definately time for me to part ways with this series!

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cesar, Fritz, Suzy, and Isobel arrive in a now destroyed Reno and are assigned tasks to find out what happened and who's to blame. Cesar cracks me up with his snarky, inappropriate humor. He always seems to find something funny even in the most dire situations and is a horn dog to the end. I can't wait to read how the next episode in Cesar's tale will pan out...

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is just something about this series that I really enjoy. Is it that poor Cesar is a witch that is allergic to magic? Maybe. It could also be that Isobel is a zombie that can think and live her life like a normal person. I really don't know. I love the characters for their individual craziness. This book completely surprised me though. How do I even begin to follow who the good guys and bad guys are? The lines have been blurred pretty badly. I can't wait to read book 8 so I can see what happens next.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Read in--yes--Kobo epub.) Poor Reno. Cesar remains annoyingly focused on his genital equipment & how women affect it. (And ... I'm not sure how to say this, but S.M.? An editor. Among other things, you wanted "homed" instead of "honed" & "effect" instead of "affect." ["Effect" is, indeed, a verb in a particular case.])

[Dwayne Tranbarger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once Darkness Falls

Cesar has been through the ringer. Suzy is gone, the Union has evil people in charge. Now Cesar must work for the least evil. The OPA VP Lucrezia is an evil person that wants to rule and makes deals with demons.

[eden Hudson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Isobel and Fritz are seriously the worst. Run away from them, Cesar, before they destroy any more of the things we love about you!

[James Hein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this sub-series.

[Thomas Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting

Not at all what i was expecting. Not as mysterious ad previous books, and way more predictable, still, a welcome addition.

[Karsyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good one, but mainly I liked that Fritz and Isobel proposed Poly to Cesar. Yay! No picking, no him losing out just because she got back with Fritz. Woooooo! Love it!

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved this book, can't wait for the next book. looking for it now!

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still bit slow atm not gripping me as much and the love triangle I’m not on board with I fear

[Billie · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I didn't enjoy this one as much as the others in the series. I didn't feel like enough emotion was associated with for characters that I'd found interesting that had died.

I'm also finding the trope-y constant re-stating of the characters unwillingness to hit women aspect irritating. I know the author is trying to make the character seem like a good person but it just makes me think he's a dick wants a cookie for being the minimum of a good person.

Generally speaking the plot was more chaotic in this one too, with heavy deus ex machina of the directors, which is getting predictable too.

I don't know. Bit burnt out on this series now, I did read all 7 in quick succession so maybe a break and coming back to the series will endear me to it again.

[Gerd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reno’s in ruins, and it’s because somebody messed up in the OPA. Agent Cèsar Hawke gets flown in to investigate the situation and find a culprit. Unfortunately the trail leads directly back to himself as the most likely of suspects.


I’ve a feeling I might have said the same about Hotter Than Helltown, but the seventh instalment marks a highlight in the OPA series. A lot of things change drastically for our heroes this time around and Cèsar gets to meet some old acquaintances of ours, namely Elise, sort of, and everybody’s favourite half-succubus Neuma.
While it would be helpful to have read at least the OPA series if not any of Sara’s other work in the same Universe (or at least the aforementioned "Hotter than Helltown") it’s again not strictly necessary, the uninvited reader will not catch the importance of events on the whole Universe Sara created, but gets enough information to follow the direct events along without feeling lost.

Readers who followed the series from the beginning will notice that this one’s tying up loose threads, combining elements from the overall stories we had thus far, and furthering elements that lingered around since the beginning, like the effects of Suzume’s incarceration in Union custody on her.
To keep in tune with my other reviews of the series:
Think of it as a season finale that brings some events to a head, and leaves us with new ones to wonder about.

Cèsar keeps being the character I like the least, not only in this series. He’s a lot of the time a grown-up version of a nerdy frat boy – a sexist pig with no social life to speak of, in other words. But while he is as annoying as ever his character provides Sara with ample opportunity to crack lots of jokes based off pop-culture references like

“I can guide us out of the helicopter by touch. Grab the back of my jacket and don’t let go,” Fritz said.
“I’ll never let go, Jack,” I said. Hey, I warned you my sense of humor gets stupid when I’m stressed.

This one's a favoured by the way because it exemplifies another trait about Cèsar which I love the way Sara pokes fun at, which is his latent homophobia while never failing to make faintly inappropriate jokes toward Fritz and their kopis/aspis relationship.
Cèsar’s got to be the most insecure about his sexuality character I ever encountered in Urban Fantasy, and it’s such a relief to encounter a sort of dorky, way less than alpha hero in that genre that I’m almost willing to forgive him his other short comings – almost.

In short, it’s a quick-paced, highly entertaining addition to the OPA Series, which I can warmly recommend to readers that don't mind a bit of sexism and share a love for nerdy jokes.

[Waverly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reine describes the Preternatural Affairs series on her website as gritty straight up urban fantasy. True. She also warns that she's writing them without a Happily Ever After which is true, true, true. Zero romance... well, now that there isn't quite what I'm seeing.

Cezar has had a thing for Izzy right through the series, and the sexy necrocognitive has signaled her interest right back. Meanwhile, the hero's feelings toward Suze, his partner, aren't exactly those of a big brother. But for several books now Reine has been playing out a romantic storyline between Isobel and Fritz with more than a tinge of ugliness to it. Suze has also done a marvelous job of disillusioning me about characters I used to like, here too through a romantic subplot that turns me off to the characters involved. Reine is doing a bang-up job at stoking the anti-HEA for everyone, including the couples.

When I read urban fantasy, I want the hero to be the Good Guy in a messed up world. Cezar's honesty and loyalty make him a likeable hero. I also need a few characters who care about the hero and have his back, no matter what -- the kind of fierce dedication that the characters around Elise show during a cameo in this book. Cezar's partner is abusive. Fritz, his best friend and boss, coldly says not to trust him professionally and screws with him emotionally.

Fritz, Isobel, Suze -- they aren't really his friends, not by this book. That's about as unhappily as it gets for me as a reader pulling for the hero. The more I dislike his team, the less I want to keep reading.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always feel for Cesar when I get back into his books. He's a good guy caught up in a bad situation. I honestly don't know who he should be trusting at this point and I can't imagine how he's going to weather the coming storms. I mean, Reno falling to demons is only the first level of crazy on its way. There's so SO much more.

I do get a kick out of seeing some of the very important peeps from the other series popping up here. Sure, Cesar isn't seeing Elise at her best (her being dead and all), but Elise never let a pesky thing like death slow her down. I mean, this time it did because she's all dead and stuff but... what were we talking about again?

(I'm going to take a moment to remind everyone that if you haven't read the Descent or Ascension series, you're totally missing out on how utterly badass Elise is. She's also borderline crazy. Except when she's all the way crazy, but that's another story.)

But let's get back to Cesar. He has a noble streak a mile wide and he's been put in a tough situation this time around. Things don't look good on a lot of levels. Again, I can only imagine it's going to get much, much worse before the poor guy figures out where he stands in all this. Plus, there's the awkwardness of his attraction to his best friend and boss's lady friend. Poor Cesar.

-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal

[Darlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! Guess who moved out of Reno just in time!!!! This may my most favorite thing that Sara Reine does, she shakes up a city, and at times totally ruins it! Reno and its surrounding areas are toast! Don't worry. It's all fiction. But it is fun to see landmarks and downtown areas in the novels I read. "I've been there!" and other feelings of déjà vu happen throughout Ms. Reine's books whether it is Los Angeles or other well know cities. I like that!

While S.M. Reine is one of my favorite authors, the stories about César are not my favorites. They are okay and full of good humor among the nail-biting tensions that this character has to deal with. Even so, I read these stories to stay in the overall series. Sara often brings in characters from other parts of the series-es(?)

I think that Ms. Reine makes plausible male main characters. Much better than the male authors do with writing females, in my opinion. But then, I'm not male so how could I tell for sure?

In this book, we get to see Elise once more. Other names of others in other parts of the overall series show up.

This is book 7 and though it doesn't end in a cliff-hanger (there is a moment of quiet) I can't wait to see what is coming up next for Reno and César.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Cesar Hawke’s timeline is now happily overlapping with the author’s other books. I get a happy smile on my face every time they give us a glimpse of Elise and her friends. We also get to watch Cesar make some incredibly tough decisions and further develop who he is. The book starts with Cesar heading into Reno after the destruction of pretty much the entire city. Tasked with finding the person to blame for all of this, Cesar is put in a horrible position. We get to see Malcolm again, unfortunately while he is in a bit of a spiral. Cesar’s story also starts to overlap with some familiar faces and events.

Oh, and Cesar wouldn’t be who he is if he didn’t have women problems, too. These are made worse by said woman being engaged to marry someone forever bonded to him in the aspis/kopide relationship. The larger story ends up beginning to expose Cesar to the hidden agenda of the Office of Preternatural Affairs. It’s a little difficult to summarize and review this book because there were a lot of moving parts and stories going on at once (in a good way). This book made me root for Cesar again, even if he tends to be inexplicably drawn to big trouble.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual, Cesar is up to his ears in trouble and then some. But he's still making wisecracks pretty much no matter what's going on. You can count on him for witty banter in the face of danger. Cesar is the main character and my favorite in the series.

Aside from the humor, there is plenty of action and danger for all of the characters. Isobel is probably the only one who doesn't see battle of some sort. The plot is fast paced and the book was hard for me to put down. I can hardly wait for the next one in the series to come out. Right now it's tentatively scheduled for December of 2016.

I give this book 4 stars out of 5. It's a well written, fast paced, paranormal mystery. If you haven't given SM Reine a read yet, consider trying out one of her books. There are excerpts available on her website to give you a taste of things to come. SM Reine's website

Happy Reading!

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Things are getting serious at the Office for Preternatural Affairs. And it seems like everyone knows that ... except for Cesar. But then, he always seems to be the last to know.

I've made the link between Cesar and Harry Potter before. And, once again, that similarity is stark in my mind. Cesar undoubtedly has power, even if he hasn't yet fully tapped into it. But he is nothing without his friends. And that's hasn't been more apparent than with this book.

And with this book, the tension is stepped up exponentially. We are catching up with events which have already happened involving Elise (no spoilers), but you know that there is more to come. So much more. The door is teasingly pried open for "save the world" type intrigue and suspense. And I, for one, cannot wait.

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Veronica Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just... AMAZING! Is all I can say!!

So, the only bad thing about this book is... it ended. :( this was one of the best books of this series! So much action and betrayal... so good.
It also gave light to what really matters to some characters. I just can't believe I got to read about Elise again. Even if she was a ghost. :p
I loved also seeing the back side of the Elise story from when she became... well I don't want to give that away in case you haven't read it. Let's just say, it has great back stories for the Decent/ Elise series. ;) go read that series first then come read this one. You will love both! I really really really can't wait for the next book. It will kill me slowly waiting for it lol. Really though! READ THIS SERIES!!

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ratchet the plot up a notch

The latest in the Preternatural Affairs series, this title has all the quips, all the angst, and throws in a plot line that interweaves with the Descent/Ascension series. You don't have to have read them, but if you did you get to see some in-between scenes with characters you know. Reine begins a new story arc that is tense, along with multiple relationship quandaries that do not fail to keep you on your toes. I love Cesar Hawke and this book is an awesome continuation of his intriguing life.

[Tabby Shiflett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series! The writing is witty and, because some of the best characters from many of her other series overlap, the world-building is developed very well. Think multi-layered timelines. Some major characters from the Ascension series have some pages in this installment. There's a few pop culture references included (I love these) and the ending is a cliffhanger (the storyline is building up for something huge). I never get tired of reading Reine's work and her sarcastic humor is usually spot on. I look forward to the next novel!

[Tina Pegar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is by far my favorite book in this series so far. Cesar Hawke (love him or hate him) is brought to Reno to investigate the incident and the OPA's involvement. This brings him in line with the story lines and characters from the Descent series. As I started with that series I admit that i loved the interplay with the story I had already read from that side, and the OPA piece really helped put some of it into perspective.

I received a free copy of the book for writing this review.

[Janis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series about a hypothetical government watchdog against the supernatural (specifically, demons) just keeps getting darker; I almost decided not to finish it. Don't try to read this unless you're already acquainted with the rest of the series. Quite well written, especially considering the youth of the author. Sounds as though the story's about to take a new direction—it will be interesting to see what happens in the next.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lucretia's back and she has her knickers in a twist as usual. She has sent Cesar on a special assignment, and everyone knows that she is just setting him up to take a fall. To top it all off, Fritz wants him to be the best man at his wedding to Isobel. There are revelations about Fritz, lots of intrigue and mayhem, not to mention traitors and demons. Audio version: mispronunciations that were corrected about half way through. Left me wanting more.

[Michael Holden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better with each book!

S.M. Reine has become one of the best storytellers in her genre. I've been fortunate to be able to follow her growth as an author. This book in the series shows how she can use humor in the scariest most violent of situations. Cesar Hawke has rapidly become one of my favorite characters. Read her work you won't be disappointed!

[D.R.Slater · Rating 5 out of 5]

Darkness Falls

S M Reine has a winner with Urban Fantasy Preternatural Affairs series. Worthy read with Cesar won't towards investigating preternatural. Looking forward to reading the next creative installment in this series. S M Reine is a creative storyteller with humor and unsuspecting twists to keep the readers interested to the final pages.